Gone Wild: Readers support men getting PSA test to help detect prostate cancer

I received a massive public response to my five-part series earlier this month on prostate cancer. Readers feel there should be little controversy over the PSA test. They wholeheartedly support it as a way to help detect prostate cancer, especially aggressive cases.

Here’s some advice from former Vancouver Sun columnist Stephen Hume, who underwent a radical prostatectomy in December 2010:

The Dos

First, find out If you are in an elevated risk category and, if you are, talk to your doctor about screening. Second, educate yourself about early symptoms and if you can identify any of them applying to you, talk to your doctor about an examination.

The Donts

Don’t panic. A prostate cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence, it’s part of a bigger process that in many, many cases can be managed so effectively that something else will probably get you first. Don’t get sucked into the claustrophobic world of obsessing over statistical probabilities. Statistics are generalizations; you are a specific individual. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the medical science on prostate cancer and its treatment is progressing at an astonishing rate and your chances of beating it improve with every day.